Real
by TheKitesSpellMyName
Summary: A certain blonde has pulled Hatta away from his madness. Hatta finds himself falling for her. But what if she thinks that he is just a dream, a figment of her imagination? Hatta is determined to do anything to make her believe, even travelling to her realm if he has to...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**A/N: Hatta is actually the Mad Hatter. Also, I read Alice in Wonderland when I was in 2nd grade and I have never read Through the Looking Glass. So, please correct any mistakes. I know that the Hatter is supposed to be ugly but I have made him good looking and Alice's best friend in this fic. Thank you.**

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Alice squinted through the mist, wishing it would clear up already. When it did, she saw him, waiting as he always did. She walked up to him and stood before him. His expression did not change; his face remained solid and indifferent. His lips were pursed and his enchanting orange eyes stared straight ahead. His neck length brown hair peeked out from under his top hat, framing his pale face that was soft-featured. He stood with his hands behind his back, as always.

"Hey Hatta," she said softly.

"Hi," his lips quirked into a half grin. He took her hand and pulled her behind him, away from the clearing and through the dense woods. When he was sure she was following her let her hand go. "What are we doing today?" Alice asked.

"How about a tea-party?" Hatta said. "I hope for your sake that you are kidding. I will have another tea-party with you and your crazy friends after hell freezes over," Alice said only slightly joking.

"Of course I am. What is hell?" Hatta asked. Alice sighed. People of Wonderland were very unaware of the words of the outside world. She patiently explained to him what hell was and he replied by saying that he didn't believe in it.

"You never did answer my question. What are we doing today?" Alice asked.

"We're going to the anti-ball."

"What are you talking about?" Alice was confused.

"Well you see that the Queen of Hearts is having another ball at her palace, the third one since you came last month. So the Cheshire Cat suggested that since we all hate her, why not have an anti-ball as a way of rebelling. Everyone is coming. It is the biggest event after the Queen's ball where only the nobility is allowed."

"That is actually a great idea and an excellent way of rebelling! But what am I going to wear?" Alice said. She was wearing black leggings and a lime-green shirt. After her first visits to Wonderland, she had been able to go there in her sleep. It took energy to transport, however, and she slept till afternoon the next day because of hanging out with Hatta the entire night.

"Don't worry, I made us matching costumes."

"You made clothes? For me? Wow I didn't know you could do that."

"And hats, obviously."

"What's with you and hats?" Alice grumbled.

"I'm called the Mad Hatter. I've got to live up to the name." Alice laughed at that and said, "So, it's the first day of my freshman year tomorrow."

"Yeah? How are you going to get up in time for school tomorrow if you're here?"

"I'll leave early today. I will make new friends and… I might not be able to come as often. I'll miss you. You're my best friend, even though you aren't real."

Alice still believed that Wonderland was a figment of her imagination and everyone had long given up trying to convince her otherwise. She was extremely stubborn. Hatta smiled, "That's okay. You won't stop coming though, right?" Alice shook her head and said, "Of course not." Hatta smiled again, but inside, he felt like his heart was bleeding through the cracks her words unknowingly put there.

They finally emerged from the woods into the clearing where Hatta's house and the long tea-table stood. The Doormouse and the March Hare were having a tea-party, as always, except that now the Hatter never joined them, and he never told anyone the reason why.

Alice quickly ducked when a ginormous cupcake came flying towards her. Hatta took her hand in his and they sprinted to the door, barely managing to close it behind them before a dozen pieces of cutlery and various food items hit it. "Sorry they're excited today because of the anti-ball."

"It's fine," Alice said. "Though, and I feel bad for not asking this before, when did you stop hanging out with them?"

Since you, Hatta thought, but what he said to her was, "There are only so many tea-parties one can attend. It became boring after hundred years of doing it." He led her up the short staircase to his room. His room had a light brown wooden floor, a king sized bed and a mahogany desk with a raven carved on the top as Hatta's idea of a joke. Alice was never sure what was so funny about it but the other Wonderlander's burst into laughter whenever they saw it. There was huge window opposite the door and beside it was a walk-in closet where Hatta stored his clothes and his many hats. There was also a door leading to the bathroom with a small dressing room attached.

Hatta picked the covered dress and handed it to Alice, ushering her into his dressing room. Alice shut the door and carefully uncovered her dress, smiling when she saw it. She quickly changed into it, eager to see how she looked in it.

The dress fit perfectly. It was tight till her waist and then it flared out. The top was silver and there was a metallic blue belt at the waist that was tied up into a cute bow at her lower back. The lower half was unsymmetrical had a silk black knee-length underskirt and had overlapping strips of blue, silver and black of varying lengths, the shortest ended a few inches above her knee and the longest one at her ankles. There was even a pair of white ankle boots that had a path of black and silver sequence on the side. Alice opened her braid and finger-combed through her long silky blonde hair, smiling at her reflection in the full length mirror.

She opened the door and her jaw dropped in surprise. Hatta was wearing black jeans with a white dress shirt that had a loose black tie at the collar. He was just putting on a grey dinner jacket with impressive silver buttons that had tiny carvings covering them. His feet were clad in shiny black shoes and a black fedora was placed casually atop his head. He looked at her and he looked as impressed as she felt. He placed a similar white fedora with a metal rose at the side on her head.

Hatta offered her his arm and said dramatically, "Shall we?"

"Wait, we're going together?" Alice said.

"Yes, of course we're going together."

"You didn't ask me to go with you," she said sheepishly.

Hatta sighed and went down on his knee, clasping her hand in his and went in a dramatic voice, "Will you go to the anti-ball and dance to all good songs with me and with no one but me?"

Alice thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, of course."

He stood. "Thank you, Alice, I was so worried you'd say no," he said sarcastically. "If you're done can we go?"

"Sure," Alice said placing her hand on his arm and they walked out of his house.

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**SPOILER: Alice gets drunk. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**A/N: A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. The rings may grow to over 10 meters (33 ft) in diameter, and they become stable over time as the fungus grows and seeks food underground. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. **

The anti-ball was decorated beautifully. It was being held in a huge fairy ring surrounded by massive red toadstools strung with sparkling lights. The entire area was about hundred feet in radius. Round tables were arranged in a semicircle with chairs around them and a table for refreshments. One area was reserved for dancing where rebel Wonderlanders were dancing with so much twisting and bending that it looked like they were made of water. The tweedle twins were just shuffling around awkwardly but looked like they were having a good time. Some animals were going around forming a train with the dodo bird in front. A huge disco-ball floated in mid-air. The Cheshire Cat, grinning as usual, was playing DJ. He was wearing nothing but a bow tie and a black top hat. On seeing Alice and Hatta, however, he asked the March Hare to take over and came floating towards them with his tail waving lazily in the air. "Ah, Alice and the Hatter."

"Is that my hat?" Hatta asked.

"I was merely borrowing it. It is such a piece of work."

"Hey Cheshire Cat," Alice said.

The Cheshire Cat disappeared momentarily with only his grin visible.

"I have often seen a cat without a grin, but never a grin without a cat," Alice remarked. When he came back, two glasses nearly full of a sparkling orange liquid were floating beside him. The drinks floated to Alice and Hatta.

"What is this?" Alice asked.

"It doesn't have a particular name, but it is our favorite. It is made from berries stolen from the Queen of Heart's garden," Hatta explained.

Alice took a sip. It tasted like a heady blend of strawberries, apples and weirdly, roses. Not that Alice had ever tasted a rose. Alice closed her eyes, tilted her head back and emptied her cup so fast that she nearly missed what the Cheshire Cat said, "Careful, it's our equivalent of wine."

"W-what? I'm only fourteen! I'm not supposed to drink!"

Just then Alice noticed that Hatta was no longer standing beside her. She looked around for him but everything seemed to be too bright and too fast for her to make anything out. Her head felt very light. "Cheshire Cat?" Alice called. "I'm right here," he said with amusement. "Can you take me to Hatta?"

"Sure, grab my tail." Alice did so and found herself being led to the dance floor. She finally found Hatta. He was pulling off some amazing moves. Alice watched with fascination. When the song stopped, he walked up to her and she said, "I didn't know you could dance like that!" Hatta squinted at her, his eyes becoming slits. Alice squinted at him too. "You're drunk," he declared.

"You're good looking," Alice replied.

"Why thank you, Alice. Ches!" Hatta yelled.

"What?" he said appearing beside him.

"What did you give her?"

"Just some juice. I told her it was intoxicating but it was too late," Cheshire Cat explained.

"Okay, I'm gonna take her back. She's gonna be so mad at us when it wears off."

Just then, a new song started. "Ohmygod this song is so nice!" Alice squealed. She grabbed Hatta's hands and pulled him to dance with her. "Dancewithmedancewithmedancewithme!"

"Okay, okay, just once. Then we're going back."

"Okay," she said happily, dragging him to the centre of the floor. It was a pretty slow song. They danced slowly with Alice mumbling incoherently.

"Will you tell me why did you stop with the tea parties?"

"No."

"Why are your eyes so orange? They are so beautiful," Alice said as she tried to poke at one of his eyes.

"No… don't… ow!"

"Sorrrry. You know I wish you went to my school. Life would be so much easier."

"Really?"

"Really, really," Alice said as she put her head on his shoulder and her arms around his neck. His hands automatically wound around her waist.

"You know," Hatta said, knowing she wouldn't remember anything in a few hours, "you are the best thing that ever happened to me. Before you everything was just… grey. I think that… I think that… I love you, Alice."

Alice raised her head and whispered, "I love you too, Hatta."

Hatta looked at her in surprise. Her eyes looked truthful if a little dazed. He hoped she wasn't only saying that because she was drunk. She put her head back on his shoulder and before he knew it, she was asleep.

Hatta wasn't sure whether she really loved him or not, but he knew that that the cracks had just healed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Alice? Alice." she heard a snapping sound like someone was snapping their fingers together right in front of her face. She irritably batted them away. "Alice! Wake up!" the voice snapped.

"Is it the Dodo bird? I do not like the Dodo bird," Alice mumbled sleepily.

"No, I'm not the Dodo. It's Hatta."

Alice became aware of her body swishing strangely. Her head felt very heavy but she slowly opened her eyes to meet orange orbs. Hatta was carrying her, one hand behind her knees and one hand at the back of her neck. Alice wound her arms around his neck, trying to support herself as much as she could. "Why are you carrying me? Is the anti-ball over?"

"You don't remember anything, do you?"

"Nope. My head feels like it weighs a hundred tons, though."

"We went to the anti-ball where you er… accidentally got drunk and then fell asleep on my shoulder. You started mumbling in your sleep so I woke you up."

"WHAT? I got drunk? I don't remember anything! Damn. What is the time?"

"It's three in the morning. But you know time is different in Wonderland. I'd say that it is about one in your world."

"Okay. How about we go to your house where I can change back and I think I'll go back home. I think I can walk now." Alice didn't really want him to keep her down but she didn't want to tire him. She thought he looked almost disappointed for a second before he shrugged nonchalantly and set her down. She was slightly unsteady so Hatta slung his hand over her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"So what exactly happened after I got drunk?"

"Oh, well…" he stalled, wondering if he should tell her the entire thing. "You came found me and asked me to dance with you. We danced to a song and then you fell asleep on my shoulder. That's all."

"Oh. I didn't do anything crazy?"

_Does telling the Mad Hatter that you love him count as crazy?_ Hatta wondered. _Probably._

"No don't worry. You didn't do anything except…"

"Except what?"

"You said that I'm good looking, have beautiful eyes and then you tried to poke my eye out."

"Well you are good looking," Alice said matter-of-factly. Then she blushed furiously. _Oh my God, Alice Liddell, you did NOT just say that to him!_ She scolded herself silently.

She peeked at him through her hair and he looked… happy for some reason. Unknown to her, he was considering that perhaps whatever she said to him at the anti-ball was true, including her love for him.

She cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry for trying to poke your eye out."

"It's okay." They walked silently to Hatta's house after that.

Half an hour later, they were standing in the clearing where Alice had appeared.

"So, I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, probably," Alice said. She hated the awkwardness between them.

"Yeah."

"Thank you for taking me to the anti-ball. And for the dress. It was amazing," she said.

"Thanks. You will come soon, won't you?"

"I'll try," she turned to leave but then turned back around at hugged Hatta. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. His perfect eyes were looking deeply into hers. She felt herself leaning closer and she lightly brushed her lips against his. "I wish you were real," she whispered and then the mist returned, to take her away.

"Me too," Hatta said to the empty clearing.

**A/N: This is my favorite chapter yet! Review! Please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N: Big twist in this chapter!**

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Hatta went back to his house. The Doormouse was sitting with Ches at the table, his head resting on the old wooden table. He seemed to be fast asleep. Ches grinned at Hatta and raised his tea cup towards him. Hatta did something he hadn't done in many months: he went and sat at the table.

"Well, well, seems like you have broken your resolve, my old friend," Ches said. "I distinctly remember your leaving your mad ways."

"Yeah, well, I am not getting back to them. I need your help."

"I have a feeling this has to do with Alice."

Hatta's silence was his answer.

"I see. If she hasn't already fallen for you, I don't think I can be of much use," Ches said his grin disappearing for a moment.

"No. I think she likes me but she still doesn't believe that I am real and that Wonderland isn't just a figment of her imagination."

Ches blinked in surprise, his grin vanishing entirely. "She likes you?"

Hatta told him what happened and his plan of making Alice believe that he is real. Ches nodded in approval but also warned Hatta that it was dangerous.

"I know," Hatta said. "But it would be so worth it."

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Hatta grinned and said, "Definitely."

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Alice stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear an hour before she had to leave for school. She had woken up with a major headache but she was still determined to get dressed properly for her first day. So, she gritted her teeth and swallowed a pill to counter the headache and tried not to think about what had happened the day before. She had surprised herself when she kissed Hatta. _My first kiss and it was with someone who doesn't exist_, Alice thought. She had been ignoring the increased heart rate occurring in his presence for a few months. Hiding her feelings because she thought they would be unrequited.

Alice finally decided on a yellow and white striped dress that ended just above her knees and had a thin blue belt at her waist with an intricate dragonfly buckle. She made a loose side braid with her long blonde hair and wore a single blue feather earring in her uncovered ear. She put a small pair of white platform heels onto her feet and was grabbing her sack when her mother called her for breakfast.

Her mother had made waffles with blueberry sauce and orange juice in celebration of Alice's first day in high school and her sister's first day of college. Alice ate only a little due to her nervousness. Alice was nearly through the front door when she suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Mom! I just remembered. Silena and Ashlyn wanted to hang out after school today. So I'll be a little late after school, okay?"

"Okay, honey!" her mom called back.

Alice had to only wait for about two minutes before the bus arrived. The driver, a cheerful looking man with a stock of carrot orange hair and blue eyes greeted her. Alice walked down the aisle between the seats and sat towards the back of the bus and sat next to Silena who was absorbed in a book. Alice nudged her. Silena did not respond, so she nudged her again. On receiving no response, Alice snatched the book away.

"Alice! What was that for?"

"Tuning out to the rest of the world is bad for your health," Alice said returning the book.

"Fine. It's this new book I got and it's awesome."

"Is it one of your sappy romances?"

"Nah. Well, sorta. It's more like sci-fi with a love plot," Silena said while adjusting her black cat-eye glasses. She was Asian with beautiful almond shaped green eyes and high cheekbones. Her black hair was tied back in a classy bun and she was wearing a khaki skirt with a flowery top and lace up sandals.

"You look tired today. Is something up?" Silena asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No, just a dream. And nervousness for today." Silena nodded and went back to her book. Alice sighed and stared out of the window for the rest of the journey. Silena loved her books more than anything and seldom came out of her shell. Ashlyn on the other hand was very extroverted. Alice was somewhere between preppy and geeky. It was a wonder that they'd stuck together since fourth grade.

About half an hour later, Alice and Silena met up with Ashlyn who walked to school. Ashlyn had come up to them, bursting with energy as usual, her curly red hair in a high ponytail and her grey eyes twinkling. She was wearing a jean skirt and a black top with a beaded neckline and silver hoops in her ears. They had started talking about all they were going to do that year. Ashlyn was going to join the cheerleading team (no surprises there) and Silena was going to join the Book club as well as the Computer club (ditto). Alice wanted to join the track team as she was good at running. _Away from reality as well_, Alice thought.

They were standing in front of Alice's locker and comparing schedules as she decorated it a bit before she received her books when the noticed the tingle at the back of her neck. She turned around; pretending to face her friends but actually looking towards the other end of the corridor where she felt the stare was coming from. Her heart stopped as her blue eyes met with enchanting orange ones.

_Very familiar orange ones._

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**A/N: SO my dear readers, can you guess who it is? Of course you can, you're not stupid. Please please review. I haven't gotten a single one yet. Thanks for the follow, BTW. I was beginning to think this story is horrible.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Alice briefly wondered if she had swallowed the right pill that morning. Because no way was it possible that _he_ was here. Alice felt like her dream had come true. Literally.

His dark brown hair had been shortened but left longish at the back. He looked slightly tanned in the normal light of the corridor whereas he always looked pale in the dim and strange light that seemed to emanate from everything in Wonderland. He was wearing a forest green t-shirt paired with dark blue jeans and red converse. He was wearing a green and black choker at his throat that moved every time he swallowed. He was carrying a beige backpack over one shoulder, looking casual. He looked… hot. _Wait, what?_ Alice thought _I mean normal. Not hot. NORMAL._

He was still looking at her, less openly now. Alice finally noticed the guy standing beside him. Tall, blonde, blue eyes and amazing tan with expensive clothes. Alice could instantly tell that he was going to be the IT guy… if Hatta hadn't showed up, that is.

Ashlyn shook Alice out of her thoughts by punching her in the arm. "OW! What was that for?"

"Who're you staring at?" Silena asked. "You totally zoned out when we asked you about our plans today."

"Sorry," Alice said.

"Oh wow that guy is hot!" Ashlyn suddenly whispered.

"Which one?" Alice said hoping that her answer wouldn't be Hatta and then wondering why she cared. "Orange eyes. They must be contacts but DAMN they look so real," Ashlyn said.

"They are," Alice said, surprising herself.

"Huh?" Silena and Ashlyn went.

"Kidding," Alice said, trying to cover up.

"Do you know him?" Silena asked. She was smart and could tell that the strange boy's presence was affecting Alice.

"Nope. Let's get to class, Ashlyn. We're going to be late for…um," Alice scanned her schedule, "Geography. Yes. Bye, Silena! See you in Algebra."

"Bye?" Silena said confused. It was, however, clear to her that something was wrong with Alice.

Alice dragged Ashlyn to class who was extremely confused as to why Alice wanted to be there ten minutes before it began.

As Alice passed Hatta, he reached out and gave her hand a little squeeze. Alice's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. She turned her head to find Hatta walking to the other side of the school with the blonde guy. Just before he turned the corner though, he leaned back and winked at her.

Blushing, Alice walked to her class (she had already forgotten which subject) with Ashlyn trying to psychoanalyze her. She was failing miserably at it though, as it was Silena's job. Ashlyn soon gave up trying to talk to a furiously blushing Alice with a "I don't get you! At all!"

Alice could barely concentrate during class. She wasn't the only one. Her geography teacher had long since digressed from discussing wind charts to her pet dog who happened to be named Cute Dog by her daughter. Beside her, Ashlyn was just randomly flipping through pages of her text book while Alice was drawing something in her notebook. She wasn't even paying attention to what she was drawing, too absorbed in her thoughts about Hatta.

_Why is he here? Do I need to go back to my therapist? Am I going to see the rabbit in the waistcoat as well? Am I beheaded? _Her thoughts were so jumbled that they barely made any sense to her. The class finally got over with her teacher, Mrs. N. Wall, clapping her hands and praising the students on their good concentration skills during her explanation of wind charts (God, that woman was dense).

Alice packed her pens, pencils and when she was about to shut the notebook in which she had been drawing, her eyes paused at it for a moment. She stifled a gasp at the picture. It depicted a guy and girl dancing. Both had fedoras on their heads and the girl's mouth was opened slightly like she was saying something. The guy's eyes were particularly prominent and they were shining like he had heard the happiest thing ever. Somehow her memories had surfaced just enough for her to draw that picture.

It was a picture of Hatta and her at the anti-ball, and it was beautiful.

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**A/N: Readers! I need help! I need a normal name for Hatta as he cannot go around proclaiming that his name is Hatta because that would be weird. So please suggest a name. Also, does anyone have any suggestions for the next chapter? This is my first story with romance in it so I need help. Thank you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**A/N: Thanks a lot for the reviews! They made my day! Three of my days to be precise. **

**BookLover3044: Thanks a million for being the first person to review and for the suggestion. It was my first review ever. **

**Mad: I am extremely happy that you like this story.**

**Guest: Thank you for the suggestion.**

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Alice quickly closed the book, afraid that Ashlyn would see it. She looked around to find her talking to a guy. Ashlyn made a gesture for Alice to come over.

"This is Cheshire Alexander Mason Theodore the Fifth," she said.

"I prefer Ches, actually," the guy said.

Alice prayed that it was coincidence. The guy had brown hair with weird purple streaks in them that surprisingly suited him. He had green eyes and was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with black jeans and grey sneakers. He grinned at Alice, his mouth curving into a crescent with small white teeth showing.

_Oh, help. It is the cat. The stupid, grinning, not all there cat._ Alice thought.

"Hello, Alice. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You must be new here, _Cheshire_," Alice said.

"Ches, please. Yes, I moved here last month. I am a somophore, actually, but not very good at your… country's geography so they put me in freshman geography."

"It's great you came here," Ashlyn said, "Why don't you join us for lunch?"

"I'll see you there," Ches said, winking.

"We need to go, Ashlyn. We're getting late for Algebra. Silena will be waiting. Later, Ches," Alice said with a meaningful glare as she dragged a complaining Ashlyn away. He just grinned.

They made it just in time for Algebra. Alice was worried the entire way that she was going to turn around a corner, bump into a certain grumpy woman and it would be "OFF WITH HER HEAD". The teacher raised his eyebrow like _careful_. Alice slumped into a chair beside a window, leaving Ashlyn to sit beside Silena two rows away. The teacher introduced himself as Mr. J. Prince and asked everyone to pass the textbooks behind as he piled a stack of them on the first desks. She shouldn't have been surprised when he entered, now that _he_ was going to her school, but she was. She dropped the book the guy in seated in front of her had passed her, causing him to mutter angrily.

When Alice surfaced with her textbook in hand, Hatta talking to Mr. Prince. Mr. Prince said, "Students. This is this year's foreign exchange student. I hope you will make him feel welcome. Say something about yourself, kid."

Irritation flickered across Hatta's face for less than a second, quickly replaced with a crooked smile. "I'm Jeremy Hunt." Cue dreamy sigh from every girl in class except Alice. "Oh my God, his voice is like, so deep," a girl whispered loudly.

"I'm from America and uh… I have no idea what you'd want know about me." Cue giggle from crazed girls. "I am staying with the Masons and I look forward to knowing you all," he said winking. Everyone was won over.

"Excellent, excellent. Go find a seat and let us begin today," Mr. Prince said and immediately started explaining class requirements. The girls started a silent battle, smiling at him and gesturing towards the nearest vacant seat. Ashlyn flicked her hair behind her shoulder and tapped the back of the vacant seat in front of her. Hatta waved her off and sat beside the girl at whom he had been secretly staring at throughout his introduction. He sat beside Alice.

She subtly looked at him as he listened to what Mr. Prince was saying. She was the only one even bothering to be subtle unlike the others. The guys were irritated by the constant giggling and the excited whispers. Alice quickly scrawled something on a piece of paper and passed it to him, instantly feeling glares from girls thinking that she had made a move aimed at her. Alice ignored them and waited for Hatta to reply.

Alice: _What are you DOING?_

Hatta: _Aren't you happy?_

Alice: _Yes, but a little warning would have been in order. You nearly gave me a heart attack!_

Hatta: _That is just exaggeration._

Alice: _Maybe. Now tell me, what are you and Ches really doing here?_

Hatta:_ I'll tell you during lunch._

Alice: _You'd better. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Alice hurried to lunch after a difficult physics class. She spotted Ashlyn sitting alone, waiting for the others at one of the shiny black hexagonal tables in the cafeteria that were surrounded by bright orange chairs. Alice decided that the cafeteria was her most favorite place in school. The walls were tiled in vertical rectangles of blue, black and grey with lamps hanging from the ceiling, instead of fluorescent lights.

Alice took a step towards Ashlyn, accidently stepping on a fry that stuck to the bottom of her shoe. _Okay, not my favorite place anymore._

She sat beside Ashlyn who was staring intently at the door. Alice cleared her throat. Then she waved her hand in front of Ashlyn's face. "_What!?"_ Ashyln said.

"Jeez, chill. Who are you waiting for?"

"For that hot guy Jeremy in our Algebra class who was sitting beside you. Oh and for Ches. He's cute."

It was like Wonderland and the real world were no longer different places: one in her head and one in reality. It was so much easier to believe that Wonderland did not exist, that Hatta was just hers. Now she would have to share him with everybody and hide her feelings. How would she explain the forbidden kiss to him and worse how would she explain it to _herself_?

Alice hoped against hope as she stood in line to pay her bill that the day was just a weird dream. Hatta was not going to her school for mysterious reasons and he had not brought the not-all-there cat with him who looked like a human.

Just then Silena, Hatta (_Must call him Jeremy, _Alice thought) and Ches entered. Ches and Silena made their way to Ashlyn while Hatta (Jeremy!) paused in the middle of the cafeteria, searching for Alice, oblivious to the cheerleaders asking, no _begging_, for him to sit with them. He finally found her looking back at him and with a small wave he went and sat beside Ashyln who immediately began to talk to him. Silena and Ches watched them with raised eyebrows and with identical chuckles started talking amongst themselves. A few cheerleaders joined them and began fawning over Hatta, but he remained persistent that the seat beside him should be left empty.

Alice went and sat beside Hatta, feeling lonely for a moment as she ate her pasta and listened to the flirty chatter. Hatta turned to her in the middle of the cheerleaders' explanation of the new routine they were planning, causing them to gasp dramatically.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Alice said in a small voice as she collected her empty containers.

"Wanna get out of here?" and without waiting for her to answer, took her hand and pulled her out of the door that led to the field ignoring the "Jeremy, hon, wait!" and "Take me with you" from the cheerleaders. Even Ashlyn was feeling weirded out by their behavior and looked like she was having second thoughts about joining them.

Hatta led her across the sparsely populated football field towards the top of the bleachers. He let go of her hand and immediately picked her up, hugging her tightly as he spun her around. She laughed into his shoulder. He put her down and they leaned against the thick railing, dizzy from all the spinning. Hatta took a moment to look at Alice as she stared at the field with a small smile on her face. Her long wavy blonde hair were windswept and shone like spun gold. Her skin was ivory, pristine and unmarked. And her lips were pouty and red. She looked so pretty in her dress… and the feather in her ear brushed her shoulder lightly, mesmerizingly. Her eyes reflected the red of the bleachers, the grey of the sky. Alice turned and looked over the railing, towards the distant woods, pulling Hatta out of his thoughts.

"So," she began, "how did you come here? From Wonderland, I mean."

Hatta shrugged. That was one of the easier questions. "The White Rabbit helped me. I came through the door and out of the rabbit hole with Ches."

Alice nodded and was silent for a moment as the obvious question hung in the air. Hatta finally voiced it, "You want to know why I'm here?"

Alice nodded, her teeth worrying her lower lip.

"It's because I was tired of Wonderland. You are my best friend and if you can't come to Wonderland… I'll be lost. Again."

"I don't understand," Alice said. She had a feeling that this was getting closer and closer to the reason why Hatta was behaving sane after so many years.

"Walk closer to edge

Remember every good memory

Until you are at the corner of the ledge

It is necessary

Because then you fall

The endless screams and darkness

And you know that there is nobody to call

It is stark madness

No one about

It is a state of no functionality

No way out

It is Insanity."

Alice somehow knew was he was talking about. She kept he hand on his to encourage him to keep speaking.

"It was like that for me," he said, entwining their fingers together. "Everything was so empty. The immortality drove me mad. Change was so constant. I was constantly trying to find my way out but I just sank deeper. Then one day I saw a light and I followed it. It led me out. The light was you, Alice." She felt the sting of tears and blinked furiously. She had to stay strong for him.

"I am not perfect, Alice, I am still broken. Sometimes things do not make sense to me and I am afraid that I am sinking again. But then I hear your voice and… everything is alright again. I couldn't have stayed back there; I would have lost my way. So I came here." He was holding her hand almost desperately now. She hated to see him this way. For a moment, the prideful and confident Hatta was gone, leaving a shell behind. Just for a moment. It shattered as he smiled his crooked smile and wiped the single tear on Alice's cheek.

"So, my poetry was nice, huh? Think I could join the drama club?" It was difficult to confess that he was broken to her, it nearly broke his heart to see her so sad. But it was okay now: now that she knew.

Alice snorted and said, "Sure. I know a place where you could get piercings and get your hair dyed black. I'll even stay up with you so that you could dark circles."

They laughed, not at the joke but at the promise that things would be better for Hatta. They smiled as they made their way back to the cafeteria to the sulking cheerleaders and sniggering Ches and Selena. Ashlyn was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to alexpaige22 and to Carepha. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Hatta walked to class alone after lunch. He had confessed most of the things to Alice… except the fact that he loved her. But he was getting to it. He wasn't completely sure of her feelings towards him but he had a feeling that staying close to her would spark the same feelings they had in Wonderland for each other.

He slumped down on a chair near the back of the classroom. His classes actually mattered to him. He liked that school. _If the Queen of hearts never notices I'm gone, maybe I can stay here._

Hatta ran his hand through his brown hair. He wasn't used to not wearing a hat. He fixed his eyes on the teacher who entered the class.

For a moment, his concentration slipped and he lost his control. Everyone around him disappeared. The teacher looked like the Queen of Hearts, tall and intimidating in her gown of black and red. The student speaking to her looked like a Knave of Hearts who pointed his spear straight at Hatta.

"_Nobody can escape my rule,"_ she said and the Knave charged.

Hatta got up and stumbled back, knocking over his chair. He shut his eyes tightly and brought his hands in front of his face.

"Jeremy?" a hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. The teacher was looking at him, concerned and the few students present were gaping. The hand on his shoulder belonged to a worried Ashyln "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Wobbly chair," Hatta said.

"Okay…" Ashlyn said, not entirely convinced since his chair seemed to be alright.

"Where did you vanish during lunch?" he asked, changing the topic.

"To remove my name from the cheerleading auditions. No way in hell am I joining those pom-pom obsessed bimbos. I'll try out for gymnastics instead."

"Oh," Hatta laughed even though he had no idea what a pom-pom was or even gymnastics. It seemed like the right thing to do.

"Where did _you_ vanish during _lunch_?" it was Ashlyn's turn to ask.

"Alice looked upset so I thought she must want to talk." Hatta lied.

"Alice? Upset? Weird."

* * *

After school, Alice, Silena and Ashlyn met as planned. Ashlyn wanted Hatta and Ches to accompany them but they declined, saying that they had to go shopping. Ashlyn just looked at them blankly for a moment and then whispered to Alice, "They are so perfect!" in a whisper so loud that everyone heard it. Silena sniggered while Alice mentally face palmed and decided to make sure that Hatta and Ches knew that _shopping_ might be a good excuse for girls. Not for boys. _Clueless Wonderlanders, _Alice thought and sighed.

So the three girls went to their favorite café to celebrate their first day of high school.

Meanwhile, Hatta and Ches went home. They were living in a mansion just outside town. It hadn't been that hard really. Apparently, the teacups Hatta owned were antiques. That, and Hatta's designs were bought by a designer. The white rabbit helped them a lot. Let's just say all that fetched them a quarter of a million dollars.

Living as two minors in a city without guardians would bring unwanted attention. So, the White Queen and King gladly filled in. They had to stay in Wonderland, of course, but they would surely travel to the human realm if needed. Plus, Ches and Hatta did not really need guardians seeing that everything and everyone in Wonderland was as old as time itself. It was only when they were brought outside did their infinity vanish. Hatta had wondered if one day Alice would come to Wonderland with wrinkles while he would still be a teenager.

* * *

Alice was tired. Sure she had fun with her friends but she had had a hard time changing the topic as many times as Ashlyn brought up Hatta which happened to be… like every thirty seconds. It went something like this:

Ashlyn: His orange eyes-

Alice: Iced tea or cold coffee? Hmm it's so difficult to decide!

Silena: *typing away*

Ashlyn: His voice is just-

Alice: Oh my, look at that kitten! Aww…

Silena: *still typing away*

Ashlyn: He is so hot-

Alice: ICED TEA IT IS!

Silena: *glances at Alice, shrugs and resumes texting*

Ashlyn: I am gonna-

Alice: I wonder what the time is…

Ashlyn: Ches is cute too…

Silena: *looks up for real this time and glares at Ashlyn who is still talking, oblivious. She then turns to Alice who is talking about… wind charts for some reason. Rolls her eyes and continues chatting*


End file.
